Oregon L.O.W.F.I

Archive for the ‘Religion’ Category

                     “Dryad Materializing,” James Rich acrylic on canvas

“You have to take seriously the notion that understanding the universe is your responsibility, because the only understanding of the universe that will be useful to you is your own understanding.” ~ Terrence McKenna

The quote if from Daniel Moler’s (for Reality Sandwich) article Machine Elves 101, or Why Terence McKenna Matters The article is, as Moler writes, a kind of “Terence for Dummies” includes several good quotes from McKenna.

I’ve been asked many times why I explore the things I do; why I blog and write about my UFO, anomalous and paranormal experiences, and generally, pursue the esoteric/Fortean realms. This Terrence McKenna quote resonates with me as explanation.

I would just say that “understanding the universe” is an overwhelmingly and very large assumption, and if misunderstood or misinterpreted, may sound ridiculously arrogant. I don’t believe I or anyone can presume to understand the universe, as in “Oh! I got it all now!” moment. (Even when we think we’ve reached those moments of Satori, they soon fade, like a great and very important dream, and we’re back to the mundane. . .) (And yet, if we’ve had those moments, they become a part of us, no matter how hidden away they may end up . . . )  But as a process, a journey for its sake, makes sense to me.e

The Eugene Weekly is a free “alternative” paper that’s been around for many years. Eons ago it was called What’s Happening but they changed the name to get rid of that PNW hippie vibe.

Writer Rick Levin wrote a fairly in depth article on the Oregon Sasquatch Symposium. It’s always good to see articles on fringe topics. At the same time, in my personal non-scientific observations, the liberal/left often mocks and rejects topics like this. Secular humanism, or who knows. There’s exceptions of course, in fact, a local UFO group that seems to be more concerned with energy and disclosure than UFOs and related topics — always bringing it back around to a political agenda I still haven’t figured out — are, for the most part, liberal leaning. It’s just something I’ve noticed; that usually, liberals just don’t take things like this seriously, make fun of New Age stuff, and so on. I know, I make fun of New Age stuff, (and yeah, I’m a left leaning hippie) but that’s my issue. I’m also a bit New Agey, so it’s my way of coping with my own crystal crunching nature.

Levin acknowledges listening to Coast to Coast every night, yet he’s a non-believer in esoteric and fringe subjects. And, he has a decidedly classist view of the Coast to Coast audience:

I’ve always pictured the generic caller as looking like a backcountry cross between Ted Nugent and Zippy the Pinhead, and paranoid to the point of psychosis. It’s a grossly unfair portrait, I know, but there it is.

When people say that however, after they’ve listened to several witness accounts, I always want to ask them: “But, what did you think of those stories?” Do you think the witness is a liar? A fool? Mistaking a bear for a Bigfoot? Been out in the woods too long? What? The same question can be asked of the UFO skeptic: okay, after hearing the stories of a dozen or more people, “What do you think of them?”

Not what do you think in general, or anything else, but what’s your direct response to the witness and his or her account?

I don’t think he can get to that point. He has, he writes, been given plenty of information on Bigfoot over the years, but he’s not buying. He didn’t believe in Santa Claus as a child, he says, and he doesn’t do Bigfoot today:

A lot of amateur sasquatch research employs a forced, mangled scientific jargon that sounds silly, and there are conclusions drawn that make a Swiss cheese of logic. And the more touchy-feely bigfoot writing heaps on the nativist hoo-haw and New Age fluff like so much whipped cream spooned atop the honky appropriation of indigenous myth.

He prefers to by-pass witness accounts, comparing Bigfoot encounters to Biblical accounts:

That said, it’s just as difficult to prove, scientifically speaking, the reality of burning bushes, parted seas, 40-day floods and a six-day work week where God cooked up heaven and earth, yet hoards of people continue to believe these things heart and soul. As both legend and contested reality, the real source of bigfoot’s appeal, like the source of the Bible’s appeal, is anecdotal — as a fable filled with wonder, suspense and local color, all ringed with a halo of otherworldliness.

“The real source of Bigfoot’s appeal…?” His opinion but speak for yourself. I’ve never seen a Bigfoot but I choose to believe the people I know and trust, who’ve chosen to share with me their stories of seeing a Sasquatch. Simple. Like most skeptics, whether it’s UFOs or what, they do this weird dance thing around the topic they reject. They don’t think much of it, often don’t know much about it, certainly aren’t of the opinion it exists, yet they have all kinds of ideas about what it is, means, represents, symbolizes, is capable of . . .

Levin gives a good account of Dave Rodriquez’s encounters, and yet, after describing those encounters, Levin doesn’t stop to think about those sightings. Did he think Rodriquez was lying? Mistaken? No, it seems Levin projects much; as with his comparison of the Bible and folklore to Bigfoot encounters, he offers his reasons why people tell stories about seeing Bigfoot:

At the Oregon Sasquatch Symposium, people told stories in order to prove that something else lives despite mountains of doubt and a lack of palpable proof, which is something akin to the religious impulse compelling converts to proselytize.

It’s just a loop; “mountains of doubt” disappear once you’ve seen a Bigfoot.

Maybe I’m being too hard on Levin. He does treat the speakers and the conference with respect, which is appreciated, and is honest in his feelings. And he ends by saying … well, read it for yourself.

And to think I missed it! Instead, was relaxing, enjoying good wine, food and company, unraveling myself from the work week. . .

Sarah Palin came to Eugene Friday night.

Eugene, Ore. — Sarah Palin could have hardly picked a more crunchy granola town to give a speech in than Eugene. Despite its pioneer and logging heritage, the town where Nike running shoes were born from a waffle iron is high on organic food, snobby about craft beers and tattoos, home to the University of Oregon and dependably votes Democratic. Last year, the mayor declared the first week in May as Medical Marijuana Awareness Week.

Yet the Lane County Republican party couldn’t be prouder of landing the former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate, who uses “granola” as a term of derision, as the headliner for its Lincoln Day fundraiser dinner Friday night. “She’s a pretty brave woman, I think,” said Bill Young, a Eugene veterinarian and chairman of the Lane County Republican Party.

“I think that everybody is concerned that it doesn’t seem to fit the mold,” he said. “Yet you have to realize there are a lot of Republicans and conservatives who live in this area. I’m just thankful she agreed to come, and put Eugene on the map, so to
speak.”

Oh it fits the mold all right. Despite the veneer of hippie groovy-ness in this town, which I do appreciate, no one’s fooled. (And how did I miss Medical Marijuana Awareness Week?!) This town and all the towns around this bit of alternative culture are seething with right wing types.

Plenty of people in these parts were willing to pay good money to see Palin, even if it was on a closed feed and not literally see her in person in the next room:

At $250 a head, the party has sold out the Eugene Hilton hall where Palin will speak. The hall seats about 800, and the party has also sold most of the $100 seats in an overflow room with a video feed, Young said.

Seventy people who donated $1,000 will get a photo with Palin and a signed copy of her book. Reporters can watch on video, but can’t use recording devices. In the old days, that could have drawn a crowd of angry demonstrators. Students at the university were early protesters against the Vietnam War. In 1970, the ROTC building was bombed. Eugene’s anarchist community sent protesters to the World Trade Organization riots in Seattle in 1999. And a cell of the Earth Liberation Front, calling itself The Family, was convicted of a string of arsons during the 1990s.

Whoa, that took a weird turn! Notice how the article abruptly goes from discussion of the cost of seeing Palin and the non use of recording devices, to the verbiage crafted to put Eugene hippie types in a negative light: “ROTC builidng was bombed…anarchist community …riots … convicted of arsons…” juxtaposed with solid, America lovin’ Palin.

Residents in John Day in Eastern Oregon are fighting Aryan Nation scum who want to buy and settle in the area: Rural Ore. rises against Aryan Nations A man, Forteanly named Paul R. Mullet, says he’s the leader of the movement, which is in dispute with other PNW self-described neo-nazi Aryan Nation whatevers. But Mullet is having a hard time because no real estate agency will do business with him, according to the news item.

Oregon will soon find out if teachers will be allowed to wear “religious garb” in the classrooms. (I assume this applies to non-certified instructional and support staff as well.)

House overwhelmingly says ‘End ban on teachers wearing religious dress’

With a strongly favorable vote in the House on Wednesday, Oregon is on its way to becoming the 48th state to permit teachers to wear head scarves and other religious dress in school.

The 51-8 vote on House Bill 3686 is the first decision toward repealing Oregon’s 87-year-old ban on religious garb. Oregon, Nebraska and Pennsylvania are the only states that prohibit religious clothing.

If approved, the Oregon law would take effect in 2011. Before that, the state’s education and labor agencies would hammer out rules designed to protect students from religious coercion while allowing observant Muslim women, Sikhs and Orthodox Jewish men to teach in Oregon classrooms.

It goes to the Senate next.

The opposition to this bill is ironic; among those against teachers wearing “religious garb” is the ACLU, and Representative Ron Maurer, out of Grants Pass. Maurer says that “we put . . . teachers on a pedestal” to support his opinion that students are impressionable, and too swayed by their teacher’s beliefs. I wonder what Maurer’s record is on voting for teacher and school issues; if, as he says, teachers are “put on pedestals” one assumes he’s all for school funding and related issues.

The reasons for not having teachers wear “religious garb” (unclear if it also applies to religious jewelry) includes unduly influencing “impressionable” children. Apparently those who believe that students will suddenly want to follow Buddha or Mohammed or whoever don’t feel secure enough in their own beliefs and values, let alone parenting skills. Ironic that in a school setting which, at least in theory, fosters critical and individual thinking, is also the potential site for censorship of differing beliefs.

There’s already clear policies in place concerning teaching of religions and maintaining what school districts in the area call “religious neutrality.” And yet, the state has mandated that teachers drill their students once a month in propaganda by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, which includes of course the following . . . “one nation, under God.”

On the opposition side (against repeal of the ban) is the fear about religions being taught in schools seems to be the motivating factor here, as if the state doesn’t trust its teachers to know the difference between acknowledging one’s personal faith, and preaching or attempting to convert others.

Religious beliefs and traditions can get murky; a crucifix is an obvious symbol, but Wiccan, Native American, possibly some Buddhist symbols, and so on are more nebulous … where does one decide what is “religious?” Wicca is a federally recognized religion; will Wicca symbols be included?

Oregon already has a religion in the workplace law which protects employees from harassment for wearing religious garb. Passed just this year, the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act requires employers to:

accommodate the scheduling of leave time for religious observance and/or the wearing of religious apparel in the workplace, unless such practices would pose an undue hardship.

It’s only in the classrooms that this consideration is considered unworthy.

This isn’t about anything other than control.

Maybe somewhat ironically, I am not a Christian, not a religious person (not any mainstream religion anyway) and support the separation of church and state yet find those who want to keep teachers from wearing religious garb scary for its Orwellian tone.

Adding to the irony of this is the history of the ban as well as the esoteric elements (1923, KKK initials,) in 1923, Oregon banned religious dress in schools in part to keep nuns from teaching, but it gets better:

The ban was was passed in while Kaspar K. Kubli, an open supporter of the Ku Klux Klan, served as Oregon’s speaker of the House in 1923. It was enacted to prevent Catholic priests and nuns wearing vestments or habits while teaching.

Bob Welch is a columnist for the Register-Guard, Eugene-Springfield area’s local newspaper. It’s a mainstream column; Welch likes sports a whole lot, and writes about so-called human interest type stories in the area. He isn’t out there at all, (I remember a column he wrote some years ago where he made insipid fun of Bigfoot witnesses, yuck yuck) so it’s that kind of thing.

He had an little moment of synchronicty the other day which inspired him to ask readers to share their interesting odd moments involving synchronicty.(Mysterious, magical or just weird? ) In his recent column Mysterious, eerie events remembered
he shares some of those responses. My favorites: the story about feral cats in Hawaii, and the coach in Harrisburg who had a ghostly encounter with his mother.

Not to pick on Welch (though I’m not a fan particularly) but in another column, as well as a very different kind of column, he writes about a wild game feast in Potluck’s food is, well, a little wild At no point during the article does he address the ethical issues; it’s simply a golly gee kind of piece about, in a surreal juxtaposition, a local country church’s annual game meat fest:

The setting is beautiful, quintessential Americana, a white church steeple rising into the sky amid trees, fields and rolling hills about five miles northwest of Monroe.

The dress is primarily, well, camouflage.

And the décor is what I’d call country fish & game: guns, pelts, poles, antlers, traps, duck decoys and two giant elk mounts, including emcee Scott Ballard’s world-record “8 by 9” Roosevelt elk — eight points on one side of the rack, nine on the other.

After the prayer, we head through the kitchen to go through the potluck line.

The whole scene is bizarre; prayer, camouflage, dead animals on the walls as well as on plates, and the contrast between the country and the gun toting hunters.

Among the food offered: bear, bison, wild cow soup, Nutria, elk, and lemon pepper cougar. And among the door prizes for the event: waterproof Bibles.

Russian sky and space weirdness continues. We’ve had the Blue Spiral (”failed Russian missile”), pyramid UFOs over the Kremlin, and now this: news from Russia’s space agency that it plans to:

knock a large asteroid off course and reduce the chances of earth impact, even though U.S. scientists say such a scenario is unlikely.

The asteroid is Apophis; 885 foot (give or take I’m sure) object that isn’t worrying US scientists much:

NASA had put the chances that Apophis could hit Earth in 2036 as 1-in-45,000. In October, after researchers recalculated the asteroid’s path, the agency changed its estimate to 1-in-250,000.

NASA said another close encounter in 2068 will involve a 1-in-330,000 chance of impact.

“It wasn’t anything to worry about before. Now it’s even less so,” said Steve Chesley, an astronomer with the Near Earth Object Program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Russia sees things differently:

Without mentioning NASA’s conclusions, Perminov said that he heard from a scientist that Apophis is getting closer and may hit the planet. “I don’t remember exactly, but it seems to me it could hit the Earth by 2032,” Perminov said.

“People’s lives are at stake. We should pay several hundred million dollars and build a system that would allow us to prevent a collision, rather than sit and wait for it to happen and kill hundreds of thousands of people,” Perminov said.

Russia’s space agency feels confident they can build what they need to build in time, and successfully complete their mission. But this last statement, by the Institute of Astronomy Director Boris Shustov, is cryptic:

“Apophis is just a symbolic example, there are many other dangerous objects we know little about”

The juicy invitation to speculate that this comment hands us is too interesting to ignore … UFOs? Disclosure? War? Political posturing? Staged events: religious, alien, etc?

“Apophis” is the Egyptian:

demon serpent of darkness whom Ra, as sun god, destroys every morning at dawn

What we can’t do with that fun fact of esoteric imagery! (Remember the recent BVM apparition in Egypt earlier this month.)  In the context of the already mentioned Russian displays, the plans to plan to plan an attack on Apophis, combined with Shustov’s comment, we can expect more Fortean and generally weird things to come surrouding Russia.

Notes

Russia may send spacecraft to knock away asteroid

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_russia_asteroid_encounter

Infoplease

http://dictionary.infoplease.com/apophis

Apophis, Enemy of Re

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/apep.htm

Linda Newton Perry’s Bigfoot Ballyhoo is a blog I’ve posted about here recently; I also had turned on the “follow” feature to her blog. I say “followed” because she’s removed me from the follow option.

Newton-Perry is a Christian and has said her religious views don’t allow her to condone the paranormal. Because I have a Bigfoot blog that focuses on the high strangeness aspects of Bigfoot research, linking to my blog or supporting it, even by mentioning it I guess, conflicts with her personal beliefs.

A few days ago, Newton-Perry responded to the e-mail I had sent her by reposting it her blog:

Thank you for the good words….Regan, I , however, can not list paranormal sites. My Christian beliefs prevent me from delving into that subject. I do not believe Bigfoot is in anyway paranormal. I believe he is flesh and blood and placed in the animal kingdom for a purpose. I respect your right to believe as you wish and I ask that you respect mine. Thank you for participating on this blog and I look forward to hearing more from you.

Seems she’s changed her mind about looking “forward” to “hearing more from” me.

This is a sensitive subject for researchers. If you put yourself out there as a researcher, you have an obligation to be honest to the data. As I asked in my previous post: if your religious views conflict with data, where does your responsibility end? If you reject, hide, or ignore data you don’t like because it conflicts with your views, are you an honest researcher? I don’t know, I’m asking. I asked that question in a spirit of discussion. I had asked in my previous post, what would Linda Newton-Perry do with, say, the recent BF report from the Oregon teacher who had a recent Bigfoot sighting on the Oregon coast if that teacher had included some weird detail like, BF dematerializing in front of her? Or a UFO appeared next to it? Or any other of the high strangeness things that have been reported by some Bigfoot witnesses?

Newton-Perry didn’t answer, either directly to me, or on her blog. She preferred to ignore the question and remove me from the follow feature. Certainly her right to do so; but I wonder where that leaves the Bigfoot reports that are coming her way? What if, as I asked previously, one of those reports she’s posted on her blog contained “weird” data? Would Newton-Perry lie about it? Hide it? I think these are legitimate questions.

Since Newton-Perry writes for two newspapers about Bigfoot, has a Bigfoot blog, and has published books about Bigfoot, these questions are valid and assuming her participation in this discussion is sensible.

Newton-Perry said her beliefs don’t allow for paranormal Bigfoot beliefs but as I pointed out, not all Christians share that opinion. For example Stan Johnson (deceased) was a Christian who had many so-called paranormal encounters with Bigfoot including telepathic communications and rides on space ships.

Like the UFO subject (sans Bigfoot) religious beliefs come into things, and there’s a variety of beliefs and opinions within any particular religion. I know Christians who believe UFOs and related entities are demonic, and don’t want to have anything to do with the topic. I also know Christians who don’t believe that at all. And everything in between.

On the one hand, if Newton-Perry believes, as she says, Bigfoot is strictly flesh and blood, and not paranormal, that’s fine. Many BF researchers, as we know, believe that, regardless of their religious beliefs. But again, the question is, what would a researcher do — Christian or not — with a ‘weird” BF report that came their way?

This post of mine isn’t to pick a fight or become one of those self appointed gurus of UFO or Bigfoot research. Not me! This field, like the UFO field, has its share of the pompous, arrogant, and self-important. This field is also full of just plain mean people who have no problem openly insulting others. This isn’t about insulting anyone, making fun of anyone’s religion, or picking fights. It’s about sincerely asking questions concerning research. If you can’t participate in that then should your work be taken seriously?

To be fair, we all have our buffers and lines we won’t cross. Concerning Bigfoot, I haven’t found mine yet. (UFOs and related subjects, maybe, but that’s another blog and another post entirely.)

I wish all researchers the best, except, those that promote a kill policy. I just can’t get past that, and well, that’s the way it is.

But as always, the question that’s been asked many times by many a Bigfoot researcher, what to do with those high strangeness reports? Not a new question, but one that won’t go away.

I had to laugh when I saw this post on my mother’s blog. Yes, my mom has a blog. She’s eighty-one years old (eighty two next month) and pissed as hell. She has Web TV which apparently is uber controlled by corporate fascists, and she can’t access a lot of things, like Word Press, Blogger, Google, etc. So she posts her rants on her teeny little Web TV page, and I repost them at the blog I run for her on blogger.

Everything on that blog is hers; the only thing I do is clean up spelling and some punctuation, and put in a graphic or post title. I refrain from making comments or editing content.

The blog title is hers; she came up with it and likes it. The blog is “Why? . . . thoughts of an angry old woman.”

The following post is hers; I just put it up and couldn’t resist posting it here. In Ashland, Oregon, a parent became upset over their child’s school putting up a Christmas tree. Not understanding, knowing, or caring that the tree is a pre-Christian, or more correctly, non-Christian, symbol, the parent forced the school to take it down.

Here’s mom’s post:

Bah! Humbug!….One family in Ashland, Oregon, has caused a school there to remove its Christmas Tree because it is “a religious symbol”! If the school had displayed a Cross,a Star of David or a Crescent and Star they would have a valid point…but the celebration around a decorated tree was, originally, a Pagan event. Over time the tree became a symbol of joy and good will among Christians and non-Christians alike. This tree was also a “giving”tree, meant for the more unfortunate children of the community…..makes me wonder what the hell is dancing in their heads….it sure ain’t sugar plums!

That’s mom all right.

The Supreme Court has ruled that trees are not religious, but Bellview Elementary removed the tree anyway, and also banned other legal, secular items, like Santa. They replaced the tree with two snowmen, which aren’t very traditional looking to my eye, they’re weird looking things, all dark silver/pewter and just kind of lame, like stunted little aliens. More can be found here. The school board will have a hearing and decide on future policies.